Country Information

Capital: Suva

Time zone: GMT + 12

Telephone services: Country Code: 679
Outgoing Code: International calls are made through the operator.

Emergency telephone numbers: All services – 000.

Tourist information: Fiji Visitors Bureau, PO Box 9217, Nadi Airport, Suva Fiji. Tel: 302 433 Fax: 300 907.

Passport information: Valid passport required by all and must be valid for 6 months from the date of entry. Return ticket required. Regulations may be subject to change at short notice. Contact the embassy before departure.

Visa information: Visa Required by all except nationals of: Nationals of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, South Korea, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uruguay, and Venezuela. UK, Australia, USA, Canada, EU countries (except nationals of Portugal who do need visas), Commonwealth countries (except nationals of India, South Africa, Sri Lanka who do need visas.)

Health information: Polio, Typhoid: Vaccination recommended
Yellow Fever: A vaccination certificate will be required of arriving from an infected area. (Excluding those under 1 year of age)

Food & drink: Water is untreated and not safe to drink.

Currency: Fijian dollar (F$) = 100 cents.
NOTE: Export of local currency is limited to F$100, export of foreign currency as cash is limited to F$500.

All major credit cards are accepted. Travellers cheques, preferably in Australian dollars, can be easily exchanged.

ATM availability: 10 locations .

Cost of living: Can be expensive in the tourist centres, but cheaper dormitory-style accommodation is gradually being introduced. Different islands cater for different needs and are budgeted accordingly.

Languages: Fijian and Hindi. English is widely spoken

Weather: Tropical climate, raining season = Dec – Apr.

Electricity: 240 Volts AC, 50 Hz.

Post: Up to 10 days.

Transport: FLIGHTS: Shuttle services are available between islands, although more expensive than other methods. SEA: Ferries operate inexpensive crossings between islands. Arrangements should be confirmed before the vessel leaves port. ROAD: Car Hire is available DOCUMENTATION: Foreign driving licence is acceptable. TAXI: Metered in towns. BUS: Services operate between large towns and on suburban routes. ROAD: Car Hire is available TAXI: Metered in towns. BUS: Services operate between large towns and on suburban routes.

Special information: EXTREME RISK: THE FCO ADVISE AGAINST ALL TRAVEL TO SUVA AND INTO THE INTERIOR OF VITI LEVU FOR THE TIME BEING.The FCO Advise against all non-essential travel to Fiji due to the attemted coup in may. There have been incidences of violence and looting and a curfew is currently in place. Beach-wear is not acceptable in towns. Petty Crime is on the increase in Urban Areas.

Capital: Cidade de Praia

Time zone: GMT – 1

Telephone services: Country Code: 238
Outgoing Code: Outgoing calls must go through the local operator

Emergency telephone numbers: All services – 87

Tourist information: Ministry of Tourism, Palacio Do Governo, Praia, São Tiago, Cape Verde Tel: 615 697 Fax: 613 897.

Passport information: A valid passport is required by all with a minimum validity of at least 6 months. Return ticket required. Requirements may change at short notice. Contact the Embassy before departure.

Visa information: Required by all except national of the following countries, Benin Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

Health information: Polio, Typhoid: Vaccination recommended.
Malaria: Take precautions.
Yellow Fever: Vaccination certificate required from visitors over one years of age arriving from an area where incidents of yellow fever have been reported within the last six years.
Other Health Risks: Cholera

Food & drink: Water is untreated and not safe to drink. Avoid dairy products as they are not pasteurised. Fruit and vegetables should be peeled before consumption.

Currency: Cape Verde Escudo (CVEsc) = 100 centavos
CC: Not usually accepted.
Note: Import and export of local currency is prohibited. Import of foreign currency unlimited but declaration on arrival required. Maximum export of foreign currency is CVEsc 25000 or the amount declared on arrival, whichever is the larger.
Credit cards are not accepted.
ATM availability: Unavailable

Cost of living: Tourism is very undeveloped but this may change with the government’s recent decision to promote tourism.

Languages: Portuguese, Creole and some English and French

Weather: Temperate with a low rainfall.

Electricity: 220 Volts 50 Hz

Post: To and from Europe over 1 week.

Transport: ROAD: There are 2250km of road on the islands of which one third are paved. There is currently a road improvement programme taking place. BUS: Services are satisfactory. TAXI: Fares should be agreed in advance. DOCUMENTATION: IDP is recommended.

Special information: Usual European social courtesies should be observed.

Capital: Port Stanley

Time zone: GMT – 4

Telephone services: Country Code: 500
Outgoing Code: 0

Emergency telephone numbers: All services – 999

Tourist information: Falkland Islands Tourist Board, Old Transmitting Station, Stanley, East Falkland Tel: 22215 or 22281 Fax: 22619.

Passport information: Valid passport required by all. Return ticket required. Requirements may change at short notice. Contact the embassy before departure.

Visa information: Visa Required by all except nationals of EU and commonwealth countries, Chile, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey and Uruguay. NOTE: Completion of visitor forms from the government office is required before, or on, arrival.

Health information: No information available at present

Food & drink: Water is considered drinkable, normal precautions should be observed with food.

Currency: Falkland Islands Pound (FI£) = 100 pence. FE facilities available in Stanley and the Standard Chartered Bank.

Cheques issued by the main UK bank (up to £50) can be cashed with a valid cheque card. Credit cards have only a limited acceptance.

ATM availability: Unavailable.

Cost of living: Comparable with United Kingdom but tends to be more expensive, due to the importation of most requirements.

Languages: English.

Weather: Temperate climate conditioned by the surrounding sea.

Electricity: 240 Volts AC, 50 HZ

Post: 4 -7 days.

Transport: FLIGHTS: Light aircraft services can be used to travel between most of the Islands. ROAD: A 4 -wheel drive is recommended if travelling outside the capital where vehicles may become bogged down.

Special information: To visit the Falkland Islands an application has to be made to the Falklands Islands Government as they provide the transportation. The islands are made up of a small population, living in and around the capital.

Capital: Nicosia

Time zone: GMT +2 (GMT + 3 from the last Sunday in March to the Saturday before the last Sunday in September)

Telephone services: Country Code: 357 Outgoing Code: 00

Emergency telephone numbers: All services – 199

Tourist information: Cyprus Tourism Organisation, 213 Regent Street, London W1R 8DA Tel: (0171) 734 9822 or 734 2593 Fax: (0171) 287 6534

Passport information: PASSPORTS, must be valid for 3 months after date of departure for visitors not requiring visas. Those requiring visas must have their passport valid for at least 6 months from the point of departure. Return Ticket Required, may be subject to change at short notice. Contact consulate before travelling

Visa information: VISAS required by all except: Nationals of Great Britain, Australia, Canada, USA, EU, Japan. Nationals of Commonwealth countries (except nationals of Bangladesh, Bermuda, Pakistan who do require visas. Nationals of Bahrain, Fiji, Iceland, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Norway, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and Yugoslavia (Consult Embassy if passport as issued before the outbreak of civil war).

Health information: No vaccinations are compulsary. Please seek medical advice prior to travel

Food & drink: Water is considered drinkable, normal precautions should be observed with food

Currency: Cyprus Pound (C£) = 100 cents
Travellers cheques can be cashed in all banks, US dollars, Pound sterling and the Deutschemark are all accepted currencies. All major credit cards are accepted
ATM availability: Approximately 200 locations

Cost of living:

Languages:

Weather:

Electricity:

Post:

Transport:

Special information:

Capital: Paris

Time zone: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from the last Sunday in March to the Saturday before the last Sunday in September)

Telephone services: Country Code: 33
Outgoing Code: 19

Emergency telephone numbers: Dial 112 anywhere in the EU to reach the emergency services. Additional local numbers:-Police – 17, Fire – 18, Ambulance – 15.

Tourist information: French Government Tourism Office, 178 Piccadilly, London W1V 0AL Tel: (0891 244 123 (France Information Line) Fax: (020) 7493 6594.

Passport information: All travellers must have a valid passport except: EU Nationals and nationals of Andorra Liechtenstein, Monaco and Switzerland, who may travel holding an expired passport provide it expired within the last 5 years, or a valid national ID card. Advisable to have a return ticket as proof of sufficient funds to finance stay, although this is not an absolute requirement. Requirements may be subject to short term change. Contact embassy before departure.

Visa information: Required by all except: Nationals of Great Britain, Canada, the EU, the USA, Japan. Nationals of Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Bermuda, Brunei, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Iceland, Israel (not including French Overseas Territories), South Korea, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Switzerland, Uruguay and Vatican City providing there stay does not exceed 3 months in metropolitan France or 30 days in French overseas territories. NOTE: British citizens who have retained their Commonwealth passports may require a visa. Check with the visa section of the consulate.

Health information: No information available at present

Food & drink: Water is considered drinkable, normal precautions should be observed with food

Currency: In common with 12 Member States of the European Union (EU), here the Euro is the currency. There are seven different banknotes and eight coins of the Euro. Each participating EU country has coins with one common side and a reverse side specific to each country, while the banknotes look the same throughout the euro area. All major credit cards are accepted.
ATM availability: Over 25,000 locations.

Cost of living: Similar to other Western European countries. Cities and tourism centres are more expensive than less commercial areas.

Languages: French. Basque is spoken in the Southwest by some and Breton in Brittany. Some English is spoken by much of the population.

Weather: Temperate climate in the North. Rainfall throughout the year. Some snow may fall in the winter. Mediterranean climate in the South. Relatively mild temperatures in the West. Summers can be very hot and sunny, inland areas can be mild.

Electricity: 220 volts AC 50Hz. Plugs are the 2 pin type.

Post: 2 – 3 days within the rest of Europe.

Transport: RAIL: Excellent service. ROAD: BUS: Very few long distance bus services exist. CAR HIRE: A list of agencies can be obtained from the tourist information office. The Mont Blanc tunnel between France and Italy is likely to be closed for some time, full details are available in English on the at French Ministry of Transport site DOCUMENTATION: A national driving licence is sufficient. Nationals from the EU are strongly advised to take a ‘Green’ card. The car registration documents must also be carried.

Special information: There have been sporadic bomb attacks on the island of Corsica. Visitors have been advised to exercise caution, particularly in town centres. Casual wear is common but the French are renown for their stylish dress sense. Topless sunbathing is tolerated on most beaches but naturism is restricted to certain beaches. Be aware of pick pockets and bag snatchers at railway stations and tourist areas. Do not expect to find work to finance your stay as France currently has a relatively high rate of unemployment.

Capital: Minsk

Time zone: GMT + 2

Telephone services: Country Code: 375
Outgoing Code: International calls go through the operator

Emergency telephone numbers: Police – 02, Ambulance – 03, Fire – 01

Tourist information: Intourist, 219 Marsh Wall, Isle of Dogs, London E14 9FJ Tel: (020) 7538 8600 Fax: (020) 7538 5967.

Passport information: Passport must be valid for 6 months after departure. Return Ticket required. Requirements may be subject to short term change. Contact embassy before departure.

Visa information: Required by all except nationals of the CIS republics. Transit visas are required if crossing Belarus to reach Ukraine or the Baltic States but not if travelling to the Russian Federation.

Health information: Other Health Risks: Poliomyelitis, Rabies.

Food & drink: Water is considered drinkable, normal precautions should be observed with food.

Currency: Belarusian Rouble
Exchange: Should only take place at authorised bureaux and the transaction must be entered on the currency declaration form which will be issued on arrival. Amex and Visa are accepted in larger towns. Travellers cheques are not widely accepted but are preferable to cash. It is advisable to take hard currency as well.
ATM availability: 5 locations.

Cost of living: An improving economy exists with cheap to moderately priced goods available.

Languages: Belarusian, but Russian is also spoken by 13% of the population.

Weather: Temperate continental climate.

Electricity: 220 volts AC 50 Hz, adapters are recommended.

Post: At least 10 days. Larger hotels offer Poste Restante facilities.

Transport: RAIL: 5590km of rail track is in use. ROAD: Tourists can only drive on approved routes. Valid visa and passport, insurance certificate and customs form guaranteeing the visitor will not take the car out of the country, Intourist documentation with the approved route and accommodation to be used must be carried at all times. DOCUMENTATION: IDP is required.

Special information: The people of Belarus offer a welcoming and friendly hospitality to visitors. It is advisable to take warm clothing in winter and waterproofs throughout the year. Avoid dairy produce and mushrooms, which can carry high levels of radiation. Theft is a problem so exercise caution in major cities.